OSTP Launches Public Forum on Public Access to Research

The Office of Science and Technology Policy wants you! On December 10 the office officially launched a Public Forum on Public Access to Federally Funded Research intended to solicit public comments on what the federal government's policy ought to be with regard to published, federally-funded research. They ask: "To what extent and under what circumstances should such research articles—funded by taxpayers but with value added by scholarly publishers—be made freely available on the Internet?"

In most cases, research publications are held behind journal subscription barriers. In research universities and other institutions of higher education, libraries are instrumental in providing access to this content. For those who do not have the benefit of an educational or institutional subscription, much of this research is inaccessible.

Advocates for Open Access encourage the public availability of all federally-funded research. Not only does Open Access make scientific literature available to anyone with an interest in it (for example: people with medical conditions, amateur or unaffiliated scientists), it also speeds scientific process and fosters competition.

Tell the OSTP what you think. The forum will run until January 7. Comments on policy implementation will be taken from December 10 to December 20; comments on features and technology will be taken between December 21 and December 31; comments on management and compliance will be taken between January 1 and January 7.